Senior School Performing Arts

Camerata Competition & Concert

Performing Arts staff were thrilled with the record number of students who entered this year’s Junior and Senior Camerata Competitions. The external adjudicators commented on the high calibre of all students who entered, and found the process of choosing winner and runner up difficult. We applaud all students who participated in this years’ competitions. 

Congratulations to the following students:

Junior Division

First place - Ella Kerdic

Second place - Lucas Choi

Highly Commended - Will Hoskins and Alexander Priest

Senior Division

Equal first place - Anabelle van Wyk and Alex Caban

Highly Commended - Ivy Hawker and Lucy Ashton

The Camerata Concert, which features all soloists, will be held at 6pm this Friday 5 April, in the Derek Pigot Auditorium – we would love to see you there!

Music Camp

Music Camp provided a wonderful three days of activities, intensive rehearsals and camaraderie.  Students from Years 7 to 12 worked together to develop some excellent ensemble playing in Orchestra, Concert Band, Stage Band and Chamber Strings.  We were joined by some of our visiting tutors Chris Perrin (brass) Katherine Howarth (woodwind) and Owen Bloomfield (percussion) who tutored sectional rehearsals for orchestra, concert band and stage band.  

Thank you also to our expert staff members Katie Sinclair, Lorraine Moxey, Joanne Lenton, Ben Yabsley-Bell, Luke Moxey and Shelley Hayes who ran rehearsals and activities during camp; thank you also to our amazing Music Administrator Sharon Martin, who managed logistics and kept everyone well fed.  Finally, thank you to our music leaders Angus Croft, Ivy Hawker, Laynee Visser, Maddie Sinclair, Alex Caban, Kate Adams and Will Knight who looked after their teams and helped behind the scenes to make Music Camp such a success.

TryBand 2024

Our TryBand program for 2024 has recently finished, with tutors impressed by the progress made by all students in the program. We strongly encourage these students to continue learning their instrument by signing up to individual instrumental lessons.  Please contact Mrs Sharon Martin at performingarts@kws.nsw.edu.au if you would like to enrol your child in instrumental lessons at school.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY GLEE CLUB CHOIR VISIT

Monday 20 May

The School is hosting a visit by the renowned Purdue University Glee Club Choir, based in Indiana, USA, who are touring Australia in May this year. The choir will be holding a concert in the DPA at 7pm on 20 May, which is open to the public.  In addition, our students are invited to attend an open rehearsal at 3:30pm – 4:15pm.  The Kinross Wolaroi School Chamber Choir, Koristers and VOX will also be performing at the concert. Further information will be emailed to families soon.

Music Festival

Thursday 6 June 2024

Performing Arts students and staff are looking forward to this year’s Music Festival, which will be held in the DPA.  Families are invited to bring a picnic dinner and enjoy music provided by our ensembles and Year 12 Music students.  Further information will be communicated to families early next term.

New Contemporary Singing Teacher

This term, we welcomed Gabriel Rae to our team of visiting tutors. Gabriel is an experienced Voice teacher of almost 20 years, having previously taught at Mitchell Conservatorium, Bathurst from 2003, and then maintained a small private studio in Queensland and Canberra, before returning to Orange. She encourages all styles from classical, Musical Theatre and jazz, and advocates performing as fundamental to music studies. Gabriel is a graduate of the University of Wollongong, and also undertook post-grad studies at the Sydney Conservatorium in both Performance and Musicology. She still enjoys performing, with a keen personal interest in Baroque and 20th centuart music.